Brian Kelleher vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov off UFC Vegas 46, replacement opponent found
POST UPDATED SINCE PUBLICATION: Brian Kelleher now has a new fight. See below
UFC Vegas 46 on Saturday has taken another hit.
Sources informed MyMMANews that a bantamweight fight between Brian Kelleher and Saidyokub Kakhramonov is off the card. The reason for the fight being off was not revealed at the time of publishing. Later on, it was reported by MMAFighting and confirmed by MyMMANews that Kelleher will now fight Kevin Croom at featherweight.
Brian Kelleher (23-12) returned to the win column last time out as he beat Domingo Pilarte by decision back in August. Prior to that, he suffered a decision loss to Ricky Simon after a first-round submission win over Ray Rodriguez. In the UFC, Kelleher is 7-5 and holds notable wins over Renan Barao, Ode Osbourne, Hunter Azure, and Iuri Alcantara. He has also fought some of the top fighters in Cody Stamann, Marlon Vera, and Montel Jackson among others.
Saidyokub Kakhramonov (9-2) had a successful UFC debut as he scored a third-round submission win over Trevin Jones on short notice on the same card as Kelleher’s last win. However, Kakhramonov did miss weight for the bout. He earned his way into the UFC after claiming the CFFC bantamweight title by knocking out Tycen Lynn in the second round. Kakhramonov also scored a 39-second KO over Askar Askar who was once on the UFC roster, but never fought for the promotion.
Kevin Croom (21-13 and one NC) is coming off a decision loss to Alex Caceres last February. Prior to that, he knocked out Roosevelt Roberts in his UFC debut but it was later overturned to a NC after he tested positive for marijuana.
UFC Vegas 46 is set to go down at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will see featherweights collide as Calvin Kattar make his return against Giga Chikadze.
UFC Vegas 46 will proceed with 10 fights and the card is as follows:
- Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze
- Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia
- Rogerio Bontorin vs. Brandon Royval
- Jake Collier vs. Chase Sherman
- Brian Kelleher vs. Kevin Croom
- TJ Brown vs. Charles Rosa
- Bill Algeo vs. Joanderson Brito
- Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Court McGee
- Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Dakota Bush
- Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez
- Joseph Holmes vs. Jamie Pickett
